1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to furniture and bedding and more specifically to mattresses for pregnant or severely overweight people.
2. Description of the prior art
A common complaint made by women late in the term of their pregnancy is the inability to rest properly. Between the activity of the fetus and the inability to find a comfortable rest position the mother- to- be is frequently exhausted by the time the child is ready to be delivered. The effects of this exhaustion is carried on for many weeks, as after the delivery, the new mother is responsible for a 24 hour feeding schedule and other child care duties. It is therefore in the best interest of both mother and child that good prenatal rest be achieved.
A number of mattresses have been offered for the comfort of the expectant mother but none have achieved the universality of comfort achieved by the instant invention. Examples of these prior art mattresses are seen in the following U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,920 issued Oct. 15, 1974 to Voelker uses a non-resilient flowable material to conform to body shape, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,566 issued Oct. 4, 1977 issued to Esquivel shows a mattress with a mechanical adjustment cavity for the abdomen of a pregnant woman. More recently U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,287 issued Apr. 11,1989 to Halverson shows a conventional mattress with a cavity containing removable serial cushions. The patent issue to Van Laanen on Feb. 16, 1993, No. 5,185,897 shows an inflatable mattress with a cavity 6, panel 8 and a tie 12. The cavity may be inflated and reacts as shown in FIG. 4. A plug is provided for the cavity when not used for maternity purposes. The device lacks the multiple chambers and selective adjustability of the instant invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,712 issued Aug. 24, 1993 to Ramsay shows a conventional mattress with a multi-chambered inflatable vessel in the mattress for accepting the woman's abdomen. The degree of inflation is adjustable via sealing valves 28. The instant invention is a substantial improvement over all these prior art devices.